Bigfork School District Superintendent Tom Stack warned educators to prepare for budget reductions beginning in the 2027-28 school year due to falling enrollment numbers during the March 11 school board meeting.

Stack pointed to the current 164 students at Bigfork Middle School, compared to the combined 125 students in grades 5 and 6. The net loss of 39 students at the middle school level would equate to a loss of funding in excess of $80,000, Stack said.  

“That does spook me a little bit moving forward for the K-8 budget. And then, of course, eventually those students are going to hit the high school, and those numbers are going to be down too,” Stack said. “I’m just trying to be real transparent with the staff.” 

Funding for public schools is based, in part, on enrollment, with different levels of funding for different age groups. Bigfork Schools’ budget is split between K-8 and 9-12, whereas the Montana Office for Public Instruction groups students in K-6 and 7-12. Students in grades 7-12 are funded at a higher level than those in grades K-6.  

Under this funding structure, Bigfork middle school students contribute more per student to the elementary budget than those in grades K-6, and a decrease in middle school students will have a disproportionate impact on the budget. 

“With those numbers going down, the budget will be affected a little bit,” Stack said. “We may have to, you know, do a reduction in force, or look at eliminating some positions here and there.” 

While there are currently no plans for addressing the predicted decrease, Stack said the board is looking at a variety of options.  

“We're not going to be able to get away with two fifth grade teachers next year,” Stack explained. “We don't have a lot of extra money to be adding a position back, so we're not going to. We're going to have to figure out where we're going to split those classes next year. If it's going to be third grade. Is it going to be middle school? Going into sixth grade, is it going to be an elective teacher?” 

Stack argued that the decrease in enrollment is a result of the Covid population spike and does not reflect long-term enrollment trends. 

Looking at data from past years, Stack explained that in the fall of 2025, 580 total students were enrolled in Bigfork. This marks a decrease from 2021’s high point of 606 students but is on par with the 583 students enrolled ten years ago in the fall of 2016.  

Stack noted a similar trend across Flathead County, where the majority of schools are experiencing decreased enrollment compared to 2021 but increased enrollment relative to 2016. 

“I want people to understand that this pendulum in education swings when it comes to curriculum and swings when it becomes testing. It swings when you look at enrollment. And so yes, our numbers are down,” Stack conceded. “Yes, it's going to impact our budget.” 

THE BOARD voted unanimously to accept changes to the school calendar for the 2026-27 school year. A new calendar was initially adopted at the Feb. 11 school board meeting after consideration of three calendar options. A meeting with union representatives prompted further revisions, according to Stack. 

The new calendar sees Christmas break extended by two days, now Dec. 21 to Jan. 1. An additional day off was added on Feb. 15. The last day of school will now be June 9, as opposed to June 4.  

Permissive levy estimates for the elementary and high school districts passed unanimously. Permissive levies do not appear on the ballot, and the board reserves the right to adjust the levies until Aug. 25, when the final budget must be approved by the board. 

The elementary district permissive levy totals $37,975. The impact on taxpayers would be an additional 48 cents annually for homes valued at $100,000, an additional $1.46 for homes valued at $300,000 and an additional $3.12 for homes valued at $600,000. 

The high school district permissive levy totals $51,101. Taxpayers would expect to pay an increase of 52 cents for homes valued at $100,000, an increase of $1.57 for homes valued at $300,000 and an increase of $3.36 for homes valued at $600,000. 

The board also voted unanimously to extend the superintendent's contract for another year. Stack’s contract will run through June 30, 2028, with a salary of $131,123 for the 2026-27 school year. The salary for the 2027-28 school year will be determined at a later date by the board.  

“Stack is, for better or for worse, around a little longer,” joked trustee Paul Sandry. 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.